Homework Punch Cards Free

Positive behavior reinforcement is always something I strived to improve in my classroom. It always seemed like I was whipping out an old trick from a seasoned teacher to try. Sometimes a new, simple concept to reward behavior was just what I needed to get my students back on track after a long weekend or sugar filled holiday. I want to share with you how I used punch cards in my classroom with my little learners. A dear teacher friend shared this tip with me over 5 years ago!

How we used them:

-In our classroom I used a clip chart for the most part. When students would move their clip up at all, they would earn a punch in their punch card.

-Another way I have seen teachers do it is to spot them making great choices and then give them a punch in their card right then. It all depends on what your students need. Maybe they do need immediate reward or maybe they can wait until the end of the day.

-Once the punch card was full, they earned a trip to the treasure box, lunch with the teacher, the ability to put our read aloud books in their book bins for the week, or anything great like that!

-I have also used this in behavior plans with students. We would break it down and instead of rewarding them for having the card full, they would earn a reward for every set of 5 punches.

Why I loved them:

-They were easy to use

-Student led and monitored (With my 1st grade students, I would assign a student to this job weekly and they were in charge of punching cards at the end of the day. They LOVED it because they played teacher!

-The students always kept me accountable

-The students were motivated and knew what it felt like to work hard to earn something they wanted

Want to give them a try? Grab this FREE punch card! I love to copy them on a different colored cardstock for each month. There are 20 stars on each card—enough to cover 4 weeks of school days if you want to do a monthly system.

click the image above to grab the FREEBIE

Looking for more positive behavior reinforcement ideas? Check out this post HERE.

You may also want to follow my Classroom Management Pinterest board for more great ideas!

pin it

I’ve never been a huge fan on homework. It is not always that fun to do or have to deal with. I do have a few things that I do to help make homework go smoother at home.

Keep in mind these are ideas that have worked for us and maybe they will for you as well.

Clean Homework Area

I try my best to make sure where they do their homework is clean of clutter. The more clutter there is the hard time they have with homework. It also means since my kitchen is where the girls do their homework I have to have the whole room clean. That means the less there is in the room the better it will be.

Create Routine

I try and make sure that they know what will be happening when they get home. That they know homework will be done after snack or do a gross motor activity. I wrote a post about how we do this a few years ago. It was called How Do I Teach After School: Setting a Routine. We have kept to that routine over the years and it has helped.

If kids need help finding an activity that fits for their needs. They can look through the The Superkids Activity Guide to Conquering Every Day. They have a guild to help pick them activities to meet their needs.

Set the Tone

I love to start off the year on the right foot with homework. I always set the tone and feel is important. I make sure they have all the tools they need to help out. This could be: make sure they have all the pencil, crayons and other school items at home.

Desk Helps

At my girls school, they have something taped to their desk to help them during the school year. Last year, I made some we could use at home. There are Prek & Kinder, First Grade, Second Grade and Third grade added today. More information below for the third-grade desk help. I’ll be working on a 4th grade one soon.

I also use lots of different wall cards as flip cards for them. I have them all around for them to use when they need them.

Talk with the Teacher

If you see your child struggling at homework talk to the teacher. See what you can do at home to help or maybe they have some ideas to help you out. One thing a teacher did was tell me how long she should be doing the homework and if she does not finish to write a note on the paper and send it back stating where they got to and the time they worked on it. I would have never have thought of that if the teacher had not told me I could do it.

Most teachers are flexible about what needs to be done.

FREE Homework Punch Cards

Start this year we are doing something different. We are doing homework punch cards. They are easy to use and can be flexible. There are two punch sides: Homework Sheets and Reading. Those are the two main types of homework we have had. I thought it would be fun to have cards that the girls could turn in for things they want to do. Extra computer time, tablet time or any other activity they want.

I plan on printing our cards on color cardstock. Each of my girls will have a different colors. We are really excited to use them. It will be fun to see how they work. Each of them has picked their own rewards to earn.

What you will find in these printables:

Desk Help for Third Grade: Cursive ABCs & Multiplication Chart

Homework punch cards

Also check out these other school helps:

This months theme is homework. Be sure to check out everyons posts!

Homework Posts:

Be sure to check out the other months School themed posts:

Cassie – 3Dinosaurs.com

About Cassie

Cassie is a mom of three stomping, romping, and roaring girls. She blogs about fun art and craft activities and printables she makes. She includes the odd review of products every now and then. She also blogs about the places that she has taken the girls called trip reviews. She has a few free printable pack for kids ages 2 to 8 and always adding more. She loves to get comments and feedback and always looking for new things to try or do with her girls.